Shower bath attachment



NOV ma i935 B. s. Mlcl-IELSO'N SHOWER BATH ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 28, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE SHOWER BATH ATTACHMENT Barnett Samuel Michelson, Boston, Mass.

Application February 28, 1935, Serial No. 8,772

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to bath attachments, and more particularly to attachments for converting an ordinary bath tub into a shower. From a more specic aspect, the invention relates 5 to a curtain-less shower-bath attachment, the Water being automatically confined to paths of ilow entirely within the bath tub.

The chief object of the invention is to provide a new and improved attachment of the abovel described character that shall be simple in construction, and cheap to manufacture; that shall be adapted to become readily attached to, and as readily detached from, the ordinary faucet of the bath tub or the like; and that shall not interfere with the normal ow of water through the faucet for normal purposes.

According to speciiic embodiment that is herein illustrated and described, the invention may be employed in a type of shower comprising one or more pair of balanced streams of water, the streams of each pair being directed towards each other and against the body of the bather in planes that are more or less horizontal, or that may be substantially downwardly inclined.

The invention will be explained in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective of a bath tub showing the present invention attached thereto; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical section through the tub shown in 30 Fig. 1, but upon a larger scale; Fig. 3 is an elevation, looking toward the left in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking downward in the direction of the arrows, but upon a still larger scale; Fig. 5 is a similar vertical section taken upon the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 6 is an underside plan of the water stop shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5; Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical sections taken upon the lines I-'I and 8-8 of Fig. 3, respectively, upon a larger scale than in Fig. 3; and Fig. 9 is a vertical section of a modification on the line 9 9 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The bath tub 2 may be provided With a downwardly disposed, water faucet 4 of conventional type, that may be provided with hot and cold valves 5 and l. The invention is not restricted to the use of this particular type of bath tub, but it will serve for illustrative purposes.

Connected with, and below, the water faucet 4 is a water pipe 6 having a lower opening 8 and a side opening I0. The water from the faucet 4 is adapted to flow upwards along a pipe I2 to the shower-bath streams or sprays hereinafter to be described. As illustrated, three pair of such sprays or streams are provided at I4, I6 and I8, but more or less than three pair may be employed,

as may be required.

streams of water, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

If the opening 8 is sufficiently large, none of the water will reach the said streams, but all of it will flow out through the lower opening 8 into the tub. The opening 8 may be of such diameter, however, as to provide both a flow of water therethrough and one or more of the streams of water at I4, I6 and I8. In practice, the opening 8 will be such as to permit a flow of water therethrough into the tub and also a stream of water at I4. When it is desired to have all the water flow in the streams I4, I6 and I8, and none through the opening 8, all that is necessary-is to screw, upon the bottom threaded portion of the pipe G, a plug 20 of a stop 22, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The plug 20 is supported centrally of the stop 22, as shown more particularly in Figs. 5 and 6, spaced from the walls of the stop 22 by openings through which the water may ow into the tub when the threaded portion of the pipe 6.

It is thus possible to test the degree of warmth or cold of the water merely by partly unscrewing the stop 22, and Without the necessity for completely removing it, which removal might involve the possibility of the stop 22 becoming misplaced or lost. At such time, by a proper adjustment of the stop 22, the Water may, if desired, be made to flow entirely into the tub, and none by way of the streams I4, I0 and I8. When the water has been regulated to the proper temperature, the stop 22 will be screwed up tight, permitting the water to flow entirely by way of the streams I4, I6 and I8. The amount of ilcw of water through the lower opening 8 may, of course, be regulated or adjusted by screwing the stop 22 higher or lower on the bottom, threaded portion of the pipe 6, as desired. In this manner, as stated in the second paragraph of this specication, it is possible to provide the shower streams I4, I6 and I8 without, in any way, interfering with the normal flow of water through the faucet for normal purposes.

It is also possible to regualong all three streams.

The said streams of water I4, II and I8 are each provided by a pair of pipes.

The stream I4 is produced by the pair of pipes 24, 26, the stream I6 by the pair or" pipes 28, 38 and the stream I8 by the pair of pipes 32 and 34. Each pair of these pipes is disposed at one and the same level of the pipe I2, as illustrated, but the respective pairs are at different levels and are of successively shorter lengths; thus, the pipes 24, 26 are longer than the pipes 28 and 38, which are, in turn, longer than the pipes 32 and 34. The streams I4, I6 and i8, therefore, will be of successively decreasing width but of approximately the same force or head.

Though the pipes of each pair extend in opposite directions from the pipe I2, they are not exactly opposite, but are more or less inclined to each other, as shown more particularly in Fig. 4. By reason of this construction, the water from the openings 38 in pipe 24, for example, will flow in a direction toward the center of the tub 2, and the water owing through the corresponding openings 38 in the pipe 36 will likewise flow toward the center of the tub 2, with the result that two streams or sprays of water are produced owing toward each other toward the center of the tub and against the body of a bather standing therein, thus producing balanced sprays or streams that will remain inside the limits of the tub 2, and not flow over the side thereof.

According to the preferred embodiments of the invention, the openings 36 and 38 and corresponding openings 39 and 4I in the pipes 28 and 3Q, and corresponding openings 4i) and 42 in the pipes 32 and 34 are disposed longitudinally of their respective pipes at separated points, as illustrated. Because the pipes 24, 28 and 32 are more or less parallel, the water issuing through these openings will face in substantially the same direction. The same is true with the water issuing through the openings 38 of the pipe 36 and the corresponding openings of the pipes 38 and 34. As before stated, however, the water from the pipes 28, 3E) and 32 flows in a direction inclined to the direction of the water issuing from the pipes 26, 30 and 34.

The sprays E4 and I6 are designed to issue from the pipes 24, 26 and 28, 36 in more or less of a horizontal plane. To this end, the openings 36 and 38 are disposed in a horizontal plane. The corresponding openings in the pipes 28 and 30 are also in a horizontal plane, raised above the plane of the openings 36 and 38. If desired, however, the openings 36 and 38 and the corresponding openings of the pipes 28 and 38 may be designed to produce a downwardly inclined spray, as is illustrated in connection with the openings 48 and 42 in the pipes 3?. and 34. The spray I8 thus issues from the pipes 32 and 34 in a more downwardly direction than is the case of the sprays I4 and i6, as will be understood from Fig. 1. All that is necessary, in order to produce the downward incline, as illustrated more particularly in Fig. 8, is to adjust the pipes by rotating them in the screw-threaded receiving recesses (shown in Fig. 4) of the threaded couplings, such as those illustrated at 65 and 66. Such adjustment is often desirable when the head of water is great, to prevent the water being driven out of the tub; this is not possible when the water is directed downward, at a suitable incline.

In order to facilitate the water issuing from the openings 36 and 38 and the corresponding openings in the other pipes being in a common plane, it is preferred to groove the pipes, as illustrated more particularly in Fig. 4. A groove 44, for example, is cut horizontally into the wall of the pipe 24 so that the openings 36 open into this groove 44, with the result that the water has a tendency, after leaving an opening 36, to diverge to the left and to the right of the opening 36. There is a resulting attening of the stream of water issuing through an opening 36 so that it issues in flatter form than would otherwise be the case. Owing to the rela-tively large number of openings 36, the accumulative eiect of this attening is to produce a correspondingly flat spray as a whole.

The pipe 6 may be held to the faucet 4 in any preferred way. According to the preferred ernbodiment illustrated, two adjustable U-shaped members are provided, one of them being shown at 46 and the other at 48. These U-shaped members are slipped over the body portion 50 of the faucet 4 and on each side of the faucet 4, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3. The U-shaped members 46 and 48 together form a clamp member that cooperates with a further clamp member 52, shown in the form of a plate having a centrally disposed opening 54 in or over which the bottom of the faucet 4 is disposed. The plate 52 is shown integral with, and at the upper end of, the pipe 6. The lower ends of the members 46 and 48 extend through openings 56 in the plate member 52 and are threaded to receive wing-nuts 58. By turning the wing-nuts 58 on the threaded lower portions of the members 46 and 48, the clamp members 46, 48 and 58 are drawn toward each other so as to become tightened to the faucet 4 and the pipe 6, respectively. In this manner, the shower-bath attachment of the present invention may be permanently secured to the waterfaucet 4, or it may be removed therefrom readily at will, if desired.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the pipes 24, 26, the pipes 28, 38, and the pipes 4U, 42 are permanently xed in different horizontal planes to the pipe I2. This may be effected by means of three separate pipes I2, 68 and 62 connected together by threaded couplings 65, 66.

In some cases, however, it is desirable to render one or more of these pipes adjustable, and this may be effected in any desired way as, for example, by the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 9. A pipe 64, which takes the place of the pipe 62, may be longitudinally adjustable in the pipe 66 which takes the place of the pipe 60. The leakinor of the water between the pipes may be prevented in any desired way, as by means of packing 63. A spring-pressed plunger TU, fitting in the recesses 'I2 in the pipes 64, will serve to hold the pipe 64 in any desired position of horizontal adjustment, yet permitting readjustment when desired.

Further modications will occur to persons skilled in the art and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In combination, a vertically disposed water pipe and a plurality of substantially horizontally disposed pipes connected in pairs at diierent levels with an upper portion of the water pipe and extending in opposite directions therefrom, the pipes of each pair being of substantially the same length, but the pipes at the higher levels being progressively shorter than the pipes at the lower levels, the pairs of pipes being provided with substantially horizontally disposed openings facing in substantially the same direction, and the pipes of each pair inclining toward each other.

2. In combination with a downwardly disposed water faucet, a water pipe connected with and below the faucet and having a lower opening and a side opening, means for closing the lower opening to prevent the flow of water therethrough, a vertically disposed water pipe connected with the side opening, means clamping the pipe to the faucet, and a plurality of substantially horizontally disposed pipes connected in pairs at different levels With an upper portion of the water pipe and extending in opposite directions therefrom, the pipes of each pair being of substantially the same length, but the pipes at the higher levels being progressively shorter than the pipes at the lower levels, the pairs of pipes being provided with horizontally disposed openings facing in substantially the same direction, and the pipes of each pair inclining toward each other, and the horizontally disposed pipes each having a. substantially horizontally disposed groove in its eX- terior wall and connecting the openings.

3. In combination with a vertically disposed water pipe, and a pair of substantially horizontally disposed pipes connected with an upper portion of the water pipe and extending in opposite directions therefrom, the pair of pipes being each provided with a plurality of substantially horizontally disposed openings extending longitudinally thereof and facing in substantially the same direction, and the openings of each pipe being connected by a groove in the exterior wall of the pipe.

4. In combination with a vertically disposed water pipe, a pair of separate pipes separately and adjustably connected with an upper portion of the water pipe and extending in opposite directions therefrom, the pair of pipes being each provided with a plurality of openings extending longitudinally thereof and facing in a direction determined by the adjustment of the pair of pipes.

5. In combination with a downwardly disposed water faucet, a water pipe connected with and below the faucet and having a lower opening and a side opening, means for closing the lower opening to prevent the flow of water therethrough, a vertically disposed Water pipe connected with the side opening, means clamping the pipe to the faucet, and a plurality of substantially horizontally disposed pipes connected in pairs at different levels with an upper portion of the water pipe and extending in opposite directions therefrom, the pipes of each pair being of substantially the same length, but the pipes at the higher levels being progressively shorter than the pipes at the lower levels, and the pairs of pipes being provided with horizontally disposed openings facing in substantially the same direction.

BARNET'I SAMUEL MICHEISON. 

